Seasonal breaks

Exmoor is an all year round holiday destination. Each season brings a different character to the countryside and different activities to excite and inspire. Here are our seasonal highlights:

In Spring

Spring emerges slowly on Exmoor, allowing the beauty of spring displays to last for long periods.

Visit Snowdrop Valley in February
See frog spawn in our lakes in February
Its Valentines Day for our birds too – with lively competition
See new born lambs in the fields from February
See Canada Geese checking out West Withy Lake.
Best time to see deer – less cover and still with antlers.
Marvel at daffodils and Cherry blossom in April
See our swallows arrive 15-30 April (it depends on wind direction) – the key factor on the long journey from Africa
Great stargazing period with long, dark nights and clear skies
See woods carpeted with Bluebells in April
Emerging green on large trees as new leaves slowly appear
Many spring festivals
- Exmoor Walking Festival

Spring is a great time to visit – so much happening to marvel at.

In Summer

Long days, luxuriant, untamable growth in the hedgerows and verges, never humid, never too crowded with people. But wildlife full of activity as young are fed and learn to fend for themselves.

Days for picnics and barbecues, toes in sea, dogs in rivers.
County, local and village shows – North Devon Show, Dunster Show, Brompton Regis gymkanna.
Many beaches, for both tourists and escapists. Beaches at Dunster are dog friendly.
Find rare butterflies and dragonflies
See Exmoor ponies with their foals
See our swallows learning to fly and aerial displays with 60 or more birds in the air.
Make your own elderflower cordial in June at West Withy Farm
Explore the sea shore – go rock pooling – or check out a bog – do creatures live there?
Pick fresh vegetables – still with the soil on.

In Autumn

For many, the most glorious time on Exmoor. The abundance of harvest in the fields and hedgerows – blackberries, hips, mushrooms, nuts and sloes. The colours of the heather as it flowers and the changing colours of trees and bracken as the first frosts hit.

See our swallows leave for Africa
The Moor – the heather, bracken, and grasses – changing daily and in different lights
The leaves on the trees of our native woodland
Activity as nature stores for winter
Its a great season for stargazing with longer evenings
Pick blackberries, hips and sloes from hedgerows at West Withy Farm.
The hoare frost on the trees – so heavy it looks like snow
See dew on spider’s webs in the early morning sunlight
Bampton Royal Charter Fair (last week October) began 1258
400 species of fungus to find in Horner Woods

A magical time on Exmoor.

In Winter

It is just as exciting on Exmoor during the winter months – if it’s windy, head for the river valleys – if it’s wet, head for the food market, tea shop or pub.

Or just relax in your cottage – when did you last read a book – cover to cover in a day, do a jigsaw, play Monopoly? Your childhood entertainment is waiting in your cottage.

And then there are the sublime days – sunny, clear, frosty perhaps, covered with snow perhaps – these are the most photogenic days of the year.

Visit pannier food markets in Tiverton and Barnstaple
Shop for Christmas. Definitely – ‘not on the high street’
Visit our tea shops
Visit our pubs – with log fires and winter game to eat. Try the local real ale. Try bowling in a skittle alley.
Winter is a great season for stargazing, With clear air on a frosty evening, you can reach up and touch the stars – almost!!
Join the crowds for Dunster in Candlelight and Dulverton by Starlight
Watch our buzzards looking for food. Find animal tracks in the snow. See dew on a spider’s web in early morning sunlight. See your breathe freeze in cold air.

Visit Exmoor in the winter months – wrap up warm and you will not be disappointed – chances are – you may even be ‘spell bound’